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From what I see from direct experience (I'm a doc), the great majority of patients who come to our ER and don't pay their bills are poor whites (uninsured or on Medicaid). They come to the ER for things like colds and minor illnesses that are not real emergencies. Many are intoxicated or high on drugs. So from someone who actually works in the trenches, I would have to say that you are portraying a distorted picture of the situation.
What kind of so called doctor are you? First, you need to keep up with the the entire medical profession's knowledge now on drug addiction, that it's a bio-chemical brain disease, as is schizophrenia and other mental illnesses, and not put down addict patients. You must be in an area without much illegal immigration, in border states the illegals are the majority coming to ER's with minor illness. The illegals take away poor to middle class American jobs and then they too are in the ER's. If an area has illegals, they will need to use ER facilities, like anyone else...a lot of injuries happen in agriculture/construction, and they cannot afford medical costs more than American poor. One more thing, how is it that an ER doctor would not know that hospitals are closing all over the country, 86 in CA alone...?
In an old thread, I asked members of this forum to define American culture. I don't think anyone put up a coherent definition of it. The reason is obvious: American culture is hard to pin down because it draws from a wellspring of sources. The English language can't be used to define it as English is itself evolving. The English we speak today is totally different from the English spoken at the time of Christopher Columbus. Heck, even some members of the anti-immigration crowd on this forum cannot spell simple English words correctly. Why should Hispanic immigrants be ostracized for failing to conform to "American culture" when those making the demands are themselves incapable of satisfying their own standards?
I cannot believe it! Why in the sam h--- should a doctor be allowed to practice medicine in the U.S. that does not believe in or respect America's great culture, that's the last doctor I'd want. There should be a law that professionals at least admire it if they want to be citizens in America.
American Culture, in the upper midwest they sit around long tables drinking beer and singing songs and they say uffda
in New England they live in tidy white houses, build stone walls, and don't sing when they drink beer.
In Boston the Irish live in Southie, the Italians in North end and they don't mingle, the blacks live in Roxbury,
American Culture? Salt Lake City and New Orleans, Atlanta and Boise, Gabbs Nevada and New York City.
Wear a "Gus" in New Jersey and people will think you are gay, don't wear one in Elko and people will think you are Californian.
In parts of Chicago, Polish, Detroit Muslim, San Francisco and Little Rock Arkansas.
What is American Culture?
Doctors? Most of the Doctors I see now are East Indian with wives in sari's. My primary care physician is Filipino with a heavy accent. Mama's is African American with Gold Chains and BMW.
Fer Chris's sake. There is no American Culture, this country is a stewpot, common only in its differences. In town there are Mexicans eating at Thai restaurants, Thais eating at Mexican restaurants, Chinese at steakhouses, ranchers at Chinese.
The music my children listen to is completely foreign, whiney stuff sung in high tones I can't tell the boys from the girls, I embarass my children if I play Merle, or Porter, or Tom T Hall when I pick them up from practice. My wife listens to glitter rock and roll, makes me ill..
American Culture can only be defined by undefinable.
America is a temporary political construction like every other nationstate that has ever existed, I cannot see too much reason to get worked up about it. There was a time when it did not exist and there will be a time when it doesn't exist.
I cannot believe it! Why in the sam h--- should a doctor be allowed to practice medicine in the U.S. that does not believe in or respect America's great culture, that's the last doctor I'd want. There should be a law that professionals at least admire it if they want to be citizens in America.
English must really be a tough language to understand as exemplified by your response above. Where in my post did I say I did not respect American culture? What I said was, you guys who force others to conform to American culture had better define what it is you want them to conform to. The burden of defining American culture lies on you. Example, you want immigrants to speak English but you didn't even comprehend the simple point I was trying to make above - a point which I made in plain English. You read something into what I wrote that was not even there.
OK now! If this is what you require in order to be convinced that a hospital closed due to unpaid bills from treating illegal aliens (demand the complete financial records of the hospital and hire an accountant to go through them), then I think I will simply let you go on believing whatever it is you believe.
This is not a question of what you think or of what I believe. It is a question of what the facts actually are. Since you asserted that illegal aliens cause hospital bankruptcies, then you need to present evidence showing that this is the case. But you have not provided an iota of evidence. What you provided were news articles and commentaries talking about hospital bankruptcies occurring in areas where there is a high concentration of illegal aliens. Your logic goes like this: A (illegal aliens) and B (hospital bankruptcies) are proximate to each other. Therefore, A causes B.
You made a fallacious inductive leap. This is a logical fallacy known as the fallacy of false cause. By the same token, what is to stop me from arguing that since these bankruptcies are more common in border states where it is warmer, then it must be the warm weather causing these bankruptcies! After all, does warm weather not increase a hospital's operating costs?
What I'm telling you is, if you want to bolster your case, you should dig up the financial statements of these bankrupt hospitals and find out exactly where the hemorrhage came from. That is what will establish the link between illegal aliens and hospital bankruptcy. But I doubt you will do this. It is much easier to make blanket statements that scapegoat a whole group of people than to do the hard work of establishing causation.
American culture is more easily understood through its direct expression than a dictionary type definition. The love of our country and freedom we fought for. Pledge of allegience, a vet consecrating Memorial day ceremonies, Thanksgiving, it's a spirit that Americans earned. You have to respect America.
It makes no logical sense to be pro or anti illegal immigration. It exists, it exists for reasons. To ignore those reasons and to rail against illegals is just silly.
To complain that if the southwest were still Mexico there would be no Hoover Dam or Golden Gate bridge is nearly racist.
This quote is the only thing to me that makes no logical sense. It makes perfect sense to be anti-illegal immigration, because the uncontrolled growth and cost of them being here is negatively impacting our country. The REASONS they are here is because they sneak across the border or stay here after their work visa's have expired, combined with the fact that farmers and contractors are supporting the issue by hiring in them to increase their own profit. The people hiring them should be punished as well. I think it's nonsense that a majority of Americans wouldn't mind paying more for produce, and for the most part in construction illegals are hired because they're CHEAPER, not BETTER. At some point the line has to be drawn, and that time is now.
Also, just to point out, telling people that by them saying if this was still Mexico there would most likely not be a Golden gate bridge or Hoover dam is nearly racist is just asinine. Look at Mexico, how many structures there are even close to what was built here? I'd just say it's a pretty safe assumption. I just for the life of me can not understand your way of thinking.
The other topic of this forum that makes no sense to me is saying there is no American culture because you don't get a textbook defintion. Can anyone give a definition of Mexican culture, or any ethnic culture for that matter? People do things different in every country, and there is no clear answer for any of them. I think what these people are trying to say by them conforming to American culture are things like learning our country's language, being proud to be an American, not proud to be a Mexican living in America. My heritage is Norwegian, but I am an American, and any immigrant should feel the same way. To deny pride for your country is an insult.
By the way greatbasinguide, your post about Midwest people, who a majority of are Scandinavian, saying that they sit around drinking beer and saying "Uffda", is STEREOTYPING and RACIST. With me being of Norwegian heritage, I am offended by your comment, and say you are the racist. What now?
In an old thread, I asked members of this forum to define American culture. I don't think anyone put up a coherent definition of it. The reason is obvious: American culture is hard to pin down because it draws from a wellspring of sources. The English language can't be used to define it as English is itself evolving. The English we speak today is totally different from the English spoken at the time of Christopher Columbus. Heck, even some members of the anti-immigration crowd on this forum cannot spell simple English words correctly. Why should Hispanic immigrants be ostracized for failing to conform to "American culture" when those making the demands are themselves incapable of satisfying their own standards?
i dont care what culture an immigrant comes from, i love them all.
yet i do believe that if you migrate anywhere you should be able to communicate, eventually(i'm not saying immediately) with citizens of that nation. and i think you should do it legally, with permission from it's government and citizens...this is not about legal immigration, it is about illegal immigration.
i would like to make one point, christopher columbus was italian.
and the country he went on the expedition was spain.
so what kind of english did he speak?
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